Jerry Perenchio

A. Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio, an Italian-American, is the owner of the United States' largest Spanish-language media network Univision Communications Inc. headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and a "longtime supporter of former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. A major political contributor to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pernechio is among those identified in July 2005 by the The San Jose Mercury News as having a specific political interest: he "has been fighting a long-running battle with the state Coastal Commission over an unauthorized Malibu golf course he built near one of his homes."

According to his Forbes 400 profile in 2005, Perenchio was then 74 and listed as #89: "Onetime talent agent for MCA runs Univision, country's largest Spanish TV network. Also big player in Spanish radio, following $3.5 billion purchase of Hispanic Broadcasting in 2003. With partners bought Univision in 1992 for $550 million. This year partner Emilio Azcarraga, chief of Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa, quit Univision board; Televisa suing to collect $1.5 million in unpaid royalties. Press-shy Perenchio generous political donor, largest landholder in Malibu."

"Univision is not the only source of Perenchio's fortune. A producer whose credits include All in the Family and Driving Miss Daisy," in 2001 he was "promoting boxer Oscar De La Hoya." Perenchio also owns Chartwell Partners LLC, "an investment firm focused on media and communications, and [planned in 2001] to branch into the Internet with a joint venture called 'Ask Jeeves en Espanol'," Pam Smith wrote March 2001 in Mother Jones.

Political Contributions
Smith reported March 2001 in Mother Jones that in 1998 Perenchio and his wife Margaret contributed $541,500 to the Republican Party. Scherer remarked that "Perenchio opts not to collect a salary as CEO -- the payout from his stock ownership helps balance his checkbook, reportedly worth $3.1 billion. But working without pay isn't the only thing that makes Perenchio an anamoly in Hollywood: Unlike most of his fellow executives in the entertainment industry, he makes almost all of his campaign contributions to Republicans."

"Univision's board chairman and CEO, A. Jerrold Perenchio, is a major political contributor who since 1997 [to 2003] has donated more than $1.18 million in soft money, mainly to Republican causes, and $39,000 to individual candidates from both parties. The vice chairman, Robert Cahill, has donated $46,000." 

In May 1998, Perenchio "emerged as the principal financial backer of the campaign to defeat Proposition 227, the 'English for the Children' initiative." "Perenchio donated $1.5 million to the 'No on 227' campaign. It is believed that this is the single largest donation of any individual to any political campaign in the history of California (excluding self-funded candidates). Simultaneously, all Univision stations in California began running a heavy barrage of daily editorials urging all Latino viewers to vote No on Proposition 227. There is no precedent in California political history for such an intensive editorial campaign by a television station or network on any political race. The latest polls show that California Latinos currently favor Proposition 227 by better than 2-1."

At the time, Perenchio ranked "as the largest individual donor to Dan Lungren, the Republican candidate for Governor ($207,000) and ... the largest individual donor to Gray Davis, the leading Democratic candidate for Governor ($100,000). In addition, he [was] the second largest individual donor to Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Jane Harman ($50,000), after Jane Harman's own father." 

In 2004, according to Federal Election Commission records, Jerry Perenchio contributed $3 million and the Jerry Perenchio Living Trust contributed $1 million to the Progress for America Voter Fund. (CampaignMoney.com)

In March 2005, the California State Senate Republican Caucus reported that "Spanish-language television magnate A. Jerrold Perenchio has given $1.5 million to the campaign for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's package of initiatives, in the first major infusion of cash for an effort expected to cost $50 million. Perenchio, the chairman of Century City-based Univision, is among the largest individual donors in California politics, often giving six-figure sums to Republicans and Democrats."

The Associated Press's Tom Chorneau reported May 4, 2005, that Perenchio, one of Schwarzenegger's "top contributors", gave at least $1 million to the Citizens to Save California, "a group led by the California Chamber of Commerce and other GOP supporters of the governor", who wanted to "set new limits on state spending", "lengthen the time it takes public school teachers to earn tenure", and "appoint retired judges to redraw legislative districts."